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Neighbourhood leadership in the wake of the Baltimore riots

August 7, 2015

Excerpt from an OUPblog article, published on August 5th, by Robin Hambleton, Professor of City Leadership at University of West England. He is the author of Leading the Inclusive City: Place-Based Innovation for a Bounded Planet, which is now available on Policy Press Scholarship Online.

"Having visited several American cities in recent weeks and talked to public servants, business leaders, community activists, and academics about current urban stresses and strains, it is difficult not to conclude that they face deeply troubling challenges.

The riots in West Baltimore in April and May 2015 are only the most recent in a long line of outbreaks of urban violence suggesting that all is not well. On this occasion, the protests and mayhem erupted after Freddie Gray, an African-American man, died in police custody as a result of a spinal cord injury. These disturbances, mainly in the Sandtown-Winchester area of the city, led to violent confrontations with the police. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake declared a curfew and called in the Maryland National Guard. Governor Larry Hogan sent in 500 state troopers and 34 arrests were made. On 1 May 2015, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Office filed charges against six police officers after a medical examiner ruled that Gray’s death was a homicide."

Discover more: Discover what Baltimore and Ferguson teach us about inequality, state politics, and community leadership in American cities, in Robin's article 'Neighbourhood leadership in the wake of the Baltimore riots'. The introductory chapter, 'Place-Based Leadership and the Inclusive City'is now freely available until the end of September. Get access to the full text of this book, as well as other fascinating Political Science titles from Policy Press, by recommending OSO to your librarian today.